Ever dream of hopping into a float plane to access some of the most renowned and remote trout and salmon waters in the world? You’re not alone. In fact, aside from being situated on the banks of one of Alaska’s most prolific trout rivers, that’s a huge part of our program at Rapids Camp Lodge.

We just stumbled upon a great article, put together by our pal, David Kalinowski, for last year’s Fly Water Travel catalog detailing a recent trip with us at Rapids Camp.

We think the article does a great job at highlighting many of the details of our fishing program along with an in-depth look at the rich ecosystem of Bristol Bay itself.

If you’ve yet to take a trip to Alaska’s famed Bristol Bay region, or have ever wondered what the hype was all about, we strongly suggest giving the article a read by clicking right here.

We love our big, leopard spotted, mammal eating rainbow trout that inhabit our waters in Alaska. However, sometimes we find they over shadow some of our other fantastic species. Species that if you’ve never tried fishing for, you’re surely missing out.

Today, Deneki family member, Adam Jackson, fills us in on fishing for an extremely overlooked species found all over Alaska, our beloved dolly varden.

Dolly World

In Alaska, we find that dolly varden are prevalent in most drainages that run directly to the salt. Ranging anywhere from 6 inches to over 20 pounds, these bull dogging tornadoes are one species that you are sure to hook while fishing in Alaska. Closely related to Arctic char, they can be nearly impossible to differentiate. As ravenous feeders they are aggressive, competitive, and curious. Often to the point of taking or chasing the fly at unnatural points during the swing or drift. So long as they can even remotely identify the fly or its action as prey as it passes through the strike zone its “fish on!”

The jealousy factor between competing dollies for a fly is strong. It’s not uncommon after hooking up and fighting your fish in close to witness other dollies swooping in to steel the fly away from the hooked fish’s mouth. You will also note the continuous rolls and twists made trying to throw the hook. This typically comes after several long runs, ending only after applying more pressure with your palm to the spool, slowing them to a cork bending halt.

When targeting dolly varden, it’s hard to compete with the effectiveness of a simple bead rig. However, conventional fly patterns work extremely well too, particularly some lesser known patterns such as the Battle Creek Special or the Thunder Creek (tied with orange and white bucktail).

Summer is fast approaching (trust us, it is), and our Alaska operations are gearing up for another fantastic season.

There’s no way we could sum up all the reasons we love Alaska in one post, but one of our favorite aspects is the incredible variety of species we’re able to target each season. There’s no question, Alaska is home to the most diverse freshwater fishery on the planet, and we really dig it. In a nutshell, our typical season looks something like this.

July. Easily the most diverse month of the season, king salmon continue to push though the beginning of the month while the chum run becomes even more prolific. Sockeye and pink salmon also make an appearance, along with a greater push of dolly varden and Arctic char. Massive rainbow trout continue to grow even bigger as the earliest run of the season’s salmon begin to break down. Silver salmon even start to show up at the end of the month.

August. Silver madness ensues! While at the same time, trout continue to gorge on salmon eggs and flesh, making for some of the best fishing for massive leopard rainbows of the season!

September. Silver salmon continue to push, but September is known by most for its trophy rainbows, and each year the largest trout of the season are caught during September.

That’s a lot going on over the course of a season, but between our fixed base tent lodge, Alaska West, and our fly out operation, Rapids Camp Lodge, we’re able to access a huge part of what Alaska has to offer! And better yet, we still have quality spots available!

Considering taking a trip to Alaska? Drop us a line for more information.

For the fishing writer, attempting to illustrate in words what draws us to the water can be extremely challenging. Sure, anyone can quote passages from Traver, Walton, or Thoreau, but describing what fishing truly means to you can be tough.

Rapids Camp Guide, Chad Kulfan, recently provided us with this poetic account of what the river means to him. We thought it painted a pretty good picture of what fishing means to us as well, and think you’ll relate too.

Enjoy!

For a Lifetime

The river calls us. It is a sound heard by many but only listened to by a few. We follow the twists and turns, its ups and down; not because we have to but because we want to. You may hear noise that washes everything else out, but we hear the beautiful gurgle that brings everything else into place. It is a place where we feel at home, a place that many of us will call home. A scene that is never twice the same, but will always bring back memories years down the road. Some call us crazy, insane, maybe even obsessive; but we call it passionate. A passion for all the riffles, the holes, the gravel bars, and the creatures that live and flow between its two banks. Nights are prolonged from dreaming of this place. The river calls us. We are fisherman and we will do this for a lifetime.

More Fly Fishing Poetry (oh yeah, we have that too)

Rapids Camp Lodge guests, Roger Stevenson and his daughter Sasha, showing off the beauty of the American. Photo: Adam Jackson.

Deneki family member, Adam Jackson, is back with a great write up about a special, rugged, but all the more rewarding Alaskan fishery.

Adam is a long time guide of the Bristol Bay area at Rapids Camp Lodge, our fly-out operation on the Naknek River in Alaska. He’s seen plenty of unique fisheries and today he shares some of the details about one of his favorites for trout and Arctic char, the American River.

Take it away Adam!

American the Beautiful

It’s held by many anglers as the jewel of the Katmai National Park’s trout inhabited watersheds. Twenty eight river miles of prime, blue ribbon, gold medal, what ever you want to call it, bad ass fly fishing water.

Through alpine tundra, shear faced river canyons, and stunning boreal forests, the American River flows from Hammersly Lake to Coville Lake, loosing over 1800 feet of elevation along its path (a drop of roughly 4 feet every 100 yards). Much of it is inaccessible, receiving little pressure from anglers, with the exception of a dozen or so raft trips each summer.

Access

A bush plane is required for reaching the few access points on the American and our Rapids Camp operation is one of only a handful of operators that has their finger on the pulse of this incredible fishery.

Fishing the American is not for the faint of heart however. The hiking and wading can be difficult. On the other hand, we’ve found this can be a good thing by keeping the crowds at bay and a vast majority of the fish virgin lipped. A solid day trip to the American River can entail anywhere from a two to seven mile hike depending on the targeted water and of course, the angler’s ambition.

Water Type

Running gin clear the upper stretches of the American consist of endless pocket water and spawning flats, dappled with the occasional bucket or run.

The middle portion on the other hand has a steeper gradient and many boulders that are slicked with a thin green algae washed by swift knee to waist deep water. So the odds of taking a dip are pretty good if you’re truly getting after it.

The lower section is permitted water, regulated by the park service with characteristics of deep runs, switch back gravel bars, sweepers, and log jams.

The Fishing

As a tailwater, the American River fishes well through the entire season. Extremely diverse and bountiful, with Smolt, sculpin, prolific bug hatches, and salmon bio mass filling the trout’s dinner platter. It’s always good practice to pack your bug boxes and plenty of gink, even through the month of September. Otherwise, a good mouse or fry pattern will produce regularly. Flesh of course is a great late season go to as well, not to mention just about any black or white sleechy critter.

When the salmon are in, covering water is typically the name of the game. Particular flats and runs where salmon are spawning are sure to hold a majority of the fish. However, that area can span several miles. Therefore, it is important to locate these areas in order to increase your chances of getting into ’em. A competent, well seasoned eye that knows the water and how to read it from the air is the key to great success on the American River.

Congrats to our own Bryan Burke for landing this monster of a rainbow trout from the Naknek River this fall!

The Naknek River, home of our Rapids Camp Lodge operation, has been named the best trophy rainbow trout river in all of Alaska, and each fall more 30+ inch trout are landed than at any other point during the season.

Low pressure, huge trout, and the best time of year to target trophy rainbows on the swing.. Fall fishing on the Naknek is a no brainer! Interested in learning more about the Fall Naknek fishery? Drop us a line!

We have some news to announce today! Deneki Outdoors has been acquired by the fine folks at Rapids Camp Lodge.

What Does It Mean?

We’re a bigger, stronger, happier family now. Alaska West, Andros South and BC West will continue to operate just as they have all along. We’ve got a top-tier Alaskan fly-out lodge in the family, and fantastic new owners in Dan and Amy Herrig and Jerry Shults, the owner/operators of Rapids Camp. They also run an eco/fishing lodge in Chile, and a small operation in Baja. Quite the family indeed!

Mike Sanders continues to run the operations of the three Deneki lodges, and Andrew Bennett (your humble editor) is sticking around to take the lead on the marketing front.

For Our Guests

If you have a trip booked with us, not to worry. We have your reservation and all your payment history. There’s no change in the plan to deliver you exactly the phenomenal trip that you signed up to take.

What Else?

That’s about it for now! We’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing, and we hope to see you on the water soon. Stay tuned for more on the bigger family over the next few weeks!